There are many famous writers in the English world, among whom Jane Austen has b

There are many famouswriters in the English world, among whom Jane Austen  (1775—1817) has beenpopular with all ages. But then Jane Austen wrote her novels in England, shewas writing about a world that most of us would not recognize.

But today Austen’sbooks are in greater demand than ever. In the last ten years, five of the sixnovels have been made into Hollywood films, while her books continue to bebestsellers. So why is Austen still popular?

   Richard Jenkyns, a professor of English at Oxford University, argues that hernovels still appeal to people because they focus on issues that are as relevanttoday as they were when she wrote them. Her novels are about women trying tofind a perfect husband, but also explore issues surrounding marriage,friendship and the family. “The plots are fairly timeless stories about humaninteraction which are familiar to us,” Jenkyns says.

    Themost famous book Austen wrote is Pride and Prejudice, a love story betweenElizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. At first the two characters do not get on.They finally fall in love, but still have to overcome opposition (反对)to their relationship from their families.

    Allof Austen’s books are easy to read, making them popular with children andadults, but they work on different levels so people can take what they needfrom them, author Kate Henry says.

Austen is often praisedas the greatest romance writer in the English language, so it is surprising sheremained unmarried. “Maybe she was too much of a romantic, waiting for aperfect man,” Henry says.

1.Which of thefollowing can NOT explain why Austen is still popular?

A. Her novels are allabout love and marriage.

B. Her novels stillmake sense to today’s people.

C. All her novels areeasy to read.

D. Her novels benefitpeople of different reading levels.

2. The underlined word“relevant” in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.

A. strange   B. related     C. funny      D. unimportant

3.According to Henry,Austen remained unmarried because ______.

A. she was used to thelife of being single

B. the perfect mandidn’t appears in her life

C. she was too busy tothink of marriage

D. she was afraid ofmarriage

4.Which of thefollowing is NOT true according to the passage?

A.More and more people like reading Austen’s novels.

  B. Austen diedwhen she was 42 years old.

  C. Pride andPrejudice is a novel about love.

  D. Austen isoften regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.

试题答案

【答案】

1.A

2.B

3.B

4.D

【解析】略